Ailing Allen out seven games

Sonics star guard Ray Allen will miss at least the next seven games due to a bruised bone in his right ankle.

Allen had an afternoon consultation Thursday with doctors to discuss Wednesday's MRI results, which showed the bruised bone, between the heel and the tibia and fibula. He will be re-evaluated in approximately two weeks.

After missing Tuesday's win against Atlanta to rest the ankle, Allen hoped to return for tonight's game against New Orleans (9-8).

Damien Wilkins will start in Allen's place.

Allen, 31, had surgery on the ankle in 2003, missing the Sonics' opening 25 games. He suffered a sprain the following season, but said in a recent interview he believed it was unrelated to his current injury. He took anti-inflammatories during the Sonics' back-to-back games against Indiana at home and Utah on the road on Dec. 1-2, and also regularly wrapped the ankle.

"I tried to stay off it," he said before Tuesday's game. "It really hasn't gotten better, and I always say if you're injured, you don't play."

Allen was unavailable for comment on Thursday.

There could be a positive to Allen's absence, however.

The Sonics will miss his 25.3-point average. But without Allen against Atlanta, the Sonics were forced to execute better on offense, a gripe of Allen's lately, and played tighter defense. The result was a 102-87 win, the Sonics' second consecutive victory at KeyArena after losing their previous three.

"It felt like we were moving the ball and just playing, as opposed to trying to look for one or two guys — look for Ray," Sonics forward Nick Collison said. "Sometimes we get in a rut of trying to get him off of a screen three times and everybody's staring at him. It's all our fault. He's such a good player and he's hit so many shots for us, it's human nature to look to him to bail us out sometimes."

The Hornets also will be without one of their stars. Peja Stojakovic has missed his team's past four games with back spasms and is listed as doubtful against the Sonics (8-11). New Orleans is 1-3 without his 17.8 scoring average in the lineup.

Chris Paul, a 6-foot point guard, is healthy, totaling 26 points against the Lakers.

"Now we have to see where our team stands without one of our main scorers," said forward Chris Wilcox, whose Sonics were 0-3 without Allen last season. "Last game showed that guys stepped up. We have to do the little things to get where we need to be."

Notes

• C Mouhamed Sene is closer to being sent to Idaho to play with the Sonics' affiliate in the Developmental League. General manager Rick Sund has spoken to the rookie's agent about the need to send Sene to play with the Stampede (1-6) and is waiting to see what injuries will do to the roster.

The Sonics are at the league maximum of 15 players and cannot sign a player. Injuries to Allen, forward Danny Fortson (knee) and Robert Swift (knee) mean the team will dress 12 players, a concern for Sund. While Swift is out for the season, Fortson and Allen should return, allowing Sene to leave.

Sene, a 7-foot Senegal native, is averaging 5.7 minutes in seven games.

• Swift is back in Seattle after undergoing surgery in Los Angeles to repair a torn ACL. Sund said his rehabilitation is going well.

• At 10 a.m. Monday, single-game tickets for the second half of the Sonics' season will go on sale. Tickets can be purchased at the Team Shop, the KeyArena West Box Office, or at any Ticketmaster outlet. Call 206-283-DUNK for more information.

• Approximately 2,800 tickets remain for tonight's game.

Jayda Evans: 206-464-2067 or jevans@seattletimes.com